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Monday, 14 August 2017

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments regarding our beautiful new grandson. I have a picture of him on my phone home screen and find myself turning my phone on just to look at him.

After the fevered activity at the beginning of last week with the birth of Zackary and my mum being rushed to hospital, everything has quietened down now, thank goodness. My mum has had her appendix removed and is in hospital recuperating (though I'm sure she'll be home in a day or so) while one of her sisters stays with my dad. Little Zachary is thriving and I've had daily updates, but have been unable to see him as I've been ill myself. I had a bit of a tummy bug the other week and it came back on Thursday evening, knocking me off my feet. I was a bit disappointed as it was Izzy's 8th birthday on Sunday and I was looking forward to them all piling round and making a birthday tea with all the trimmings for her. Izzy still had a wonderful birthday and Imogen went to the birthday tea and even dressed up in one of her outfits from work as a surprise for Izzy.

Poppy the Troll

So due to illness I haven't left the house or really done much the last few days. I've been able to drink a cup of tea today and keep it down, so hopefully I'm on the up again. I shall be keeping away from the little family though as I don't want to pass any nasties on to anyone.

I do have my pompom reveal though. I actually finished it before Zack arrived, but thought it far more important to announce his arrival into the world! It wasn't a project I wanted hanging around, so once I started, I wanted to continue until it was finished. I may never make another pompom though...

It started with one

Thank goodness I found these fingerless scissors

I had no idea how many to make, just that I would need rather a lot.

I used white, pinks and black to fit in with Imogen's bedroom colours.

I used a piece of canvas rug making fabric. I'm not sure what possessed me, but I decided to make it a meter diameter (about 3ft), I thought it might look a bit 'lost' in the room if it was smaller (not that the room's very large).

When I'd made about 40, I laid them on the fabric to get an idea of how many I needed... lots was the answer, lots and lots...

I haven't counted them, but there are definitely at least 150 pompoms snuggled together here. Each one lovingly (maybe not quite as lovingly after the first 50) made and individually tied through the fabric nice and securely.

I'm actually very pleased with it. It's thick, beautiful and colourful, just the thing for Imogen to sink her toes into when she gets out of bed in the mornings. It's a good size and looks lovely in Imogen's room, I can't see me making another one though!

Thursday, 10 August 2017

Yes, the little bundle of gorgeousness has arrived! He came into the world on Tuesday morning weighing 8lbs 12oz. Let me introduce our first grandchild, Zackary Andrew David

Here's a photo of my baby holding his baby, father and son.

Look at this lovely head of hair. what a little firecracker, a head full of lovely red hair.

I'm quite smitten with this little man and I'm looking forward to getting to know him more and watch him grow up... I can't believe I'm a nanny, I'm this little boy's nanny.

Auntie Imogen couldn't wait to meet her nephew. We went to visit them at home yesterday, but didn't stay long as I think it's important not to overwhelm them all with visitors. We took baked goods so they wouldn't have to worry about cooking and left them to bond, the new little family.

Here is big sister Izzy, proudly holding her new little brother.

Unfortunately, as all this wonderful news is happening, my mum has been rushed into hospital, leaving my dad at home by himself. Dad is doing so much better since the cancer removal operation, but is waiting for heart surgery to replace his leaking heart valve, so is still very poorly. One of my aunts is going to stay with him until mum gets sorted, it's looking like she has a burst appendix. What a terrible year the two of them have had!

Saturday, 5 August 2017

Today's the day our grandson is due to enter the world... I think he is quite comfortable where he is though, but hopefully will make his grand entrance soon. I've had a bit of a tummy bug so I don't mind that he hasn't arrived yet as I wouldn't want to visit in case I pass on any germs. Holly was due to get a 'stretch and sweep' yesterday, which may have started things off, but the little man had disengaged so it wasn't possible, understandably she's getting a bit fed up.

I've finished a couple of books so thought I'd drop in and tell you about them. First one was 'The Woman who went to Bed for a Year' by Sue Townsend.

It's about an ordinary housewife, Eva Beaver, unappreciated, put upon and taken for granted, who decides to just go to bed and stay there. We meet all sorts of weird and wonderful people and I found the book quite amusing. I thought the ending was a little rushed and left lots of things open, but I did enjoy it.

The next book was 'The Perfect Girl' by Gilly MacMillan.

I really enjoyed it, told in parts by 4 different people. The main character is 17 year old Zoe, a music prodigy who was involved in a devastating and life changing accident. We enter her story when she's part of her 'second chance family', trying to pretend the past hasn't happened, but what happens next destroys that.

I could work out as I read what was going to happen, or what had happened, but it was a page turner and I definitely recommend it.

That's me for today, still not feeling too well so I think I may go in the garden and get some sunshine and fresh air.

Wednesday, 26 July 2017

Thank you for all your lovely comments, definitely the best bit of blogging, reading and answering all your lovely messages. You may be nearer to guessing my pom pom plan when you see how many I have to make. There were around 30 when I counted them yesterday...

I think I need around another 100. I'm aiming to make a few everyday and Imogen has made a couple too. The hardest part of making them was using my little scissors to snip them apart, so I bought some scissors without finger holes (I don't know if they have a proper name). I absolutely love them and they've made the cutting so much easier.

We've had a few play days recently. Adam's partner has a gorgeous little 7 year old daughter and I love spending time with her. As Adam and Holly both work full time, we like to help out by looking after her sometimes. We gave her a great surprise when she came the other day by getting all of Adams old lego out of the loft. It was tipped all over the floor and we all got involved (adults definitely having as much fun as little people).

There were lots of bits and pieces from cowboy and Indian sets, space sets and plenty of other things

We passed a couple of hours without even realising, when Adam and Holly came to pick up our little charge, we were all still totally absorbed.

I've given Holly the last cardigan I've knitted. I saw a gorgeous knitted one on Maggie from BlackCountry Wench's blog. Maggie had found the free pattern JAY Baby Cardigan on ravelry. It's the first time Ive knitted a cardigan from the top down and I really liked it. Although the arm seams still needed sewing together, not having to put the shoulders in was a big bonus.

I've tried not to make anything too small as Holly is pretty sure this little chap is going to be a big one. Both my babies were in the 6lb range, but Holly's daughter was around 10lb (it took Imogen a few months to get to that weight) and even though her bump is a lovely neat one, the midwives have said she doesn't appear to be carrying much water and he'll probably be a big boy.

The expected date for this already much loved little boy to enter the world is the 5th of August, but the midwives will start things off (if they haven't already started) on the 4th. It's a long time since I've had a baby and things seem to change all the time, the longest I went was 37 weeks and I remember how I was fed up and very ready to meet my baby at that point, so I understand why Holly can't wait for him to come and is grateful they don't leave you to get to 42 weeks like they used to.

Before I pop off I must show you what one of our naughty pussy cats was up to. I don't think she realised I was still in the room and knows where to look for some cat treats.

She actually got her teeth into the bag, but couldn't get it out of the box.

The dogs on the other hand, just stood on the arm of the sofa excitedly waiting for the human to return, eyes fixed on the door he left through, tails wagging happily. How different cats and dogs are!

Saturday, 22 July 2017

Thank your all the well wishes, my teeth are sorted out, hope that doesn't happen again in a hurry! Big yea here, the school summer holidays have begun and I have my girl at home for the next 6 weeks... well I say at home, but I'm sure she'll have plenty of things planned independent of 'the 'rents' (that'd be parents to the rest of us) or sometimes 'the parental units', oh they grow up so fast. We will have lots of family time too, days out together, family evenings and of course the welcoming of our grandson and Imogen's nephew in the next couple of weeks.

The latest book I read was called 'The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox' by Maggie O'Farrell, not my usual thriller, but just as enjoyable. I picked it up in the clearance section at the back of our WHSmiths in town, they have quite a decent size selection of clearance books priced from 50p so it's often worth a look through.

Esme (how I adore that name) has been a patient in a psychiatric hospital for over 60 years and is being discharged due to the closure of the hospitals. I know when many of the old psychiatric hospitals closed in this country, there were many older people (particularly women) who had spent their entire lives in them, sent away as young girls for being 'difficult' or perhaps for getting pregnant. Such a travesty, their young lives stolen away from them and many endured many horrors in these institutions.

Anyway... Esme has been away for a long while with no visits, forgotten by everyone, her only sister now an elderly lady with dementia and just a great niece left in the family. Her story is told through fractured memories and is quite a story. Well worth reading.

I've finished knitting my latest baby cardigan, it just needs buttons then I shall take a quick picture and show you. I'm having a break from baby knitting and crochet for a while, I've started making pom poms.

I've made about 24 so far and still have a great deal left to make. I think I'm getting pom poms wrist, shoulder and even fingers from snipping them, so may need to slow down or have a day off

I am glad I have my trusty pom pom maker, it definitely makes it much easier than when I used to cut circles out of cardboard and have to squish the wool through the hole that I'd cut in the middle, remember making them like that when you were a child? I won't show you what I'm making just yet, but wait till it gets a bit further along.

Tuesday, 18 July 2017

Thank you for all the lovely comments about my bunting and supportive ones about my tooth. I don't know how, but I was complaining about the wrong tooth! It wasn't my baby tooth at all, or even the one next to it, but the one next to that. It broke in half, vertically... I didn't like it! I managed to get through Imogen's performance, Chicago (which was rather fabulous) then took to my bed for an early night. Luckily the emergency dentist fitted me in at 1 the next day, it was very busy there. The dentist was lovely, he said it needed extracting, gave me the necessary injections and pulled out the first (broken) half of my tooth. He then spent a while examining it and decided to give me a temporary filling to tide me over and a prescription for some antibiotics if it starts to get more painful (I haven't needed to take them). As the nerve wasn't exposed, the dentist said we may be able to save the tooth. I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon with my own dentist to have a proper filling, so fingers crossed all will be well.

After the grey skies in my last post, it's back to blue skies and sunshine again. Andy harvested some carrots... not looking forward to peeling the twisty ones.

Our kitchen has been hotter than the conservatory today. I've had a gammon joint roasting away, phew. I'd already taken it out of the freezer yesterday to have for tea today, we had it with boiled potatoes and salad from the garden, so that was rather lovely.

I thought as I showed you it last year, I'd take a photo our lovely Hydrangea bush, it's covered in glorious bright pink blooms and I love it.

The heat isn't bothering the cats. Mitzi has been spending her time curled up asleep on cosy throws and cushions, doesn't she look sweet and oh so very relaxed.

Saturday, 15 July 2017

I haven't felt like doing much today as one of my teeth is playing me up. One of my canines is a baby tooth that never fell out when I was young, I think it's lasted very well, but is perhaps coming to the end of it's life? I clench my teeth very hard (and unconsciously) when I sleep at night so wear a guard over my bottom teeth to try and save them from wear and tear from the crunching (ouch, sounds horrible). I have been very lucky and only experienced toothache for the first time a couple of years ago and then had to have one of my back teeth removed as it'd cracked from the constant pressure. I went from being terrified of having an injection in my mouth and a tooth removed to being desperate for it to happen (anyone who's had toothache will relate to that I'm sure). I digress... really I was just having a moan about my tooth hurting.

I popped into the garden for a bit, it's very grey out there and we've had some rain on and off (the conservatory has the airers up with washing drying on them). I took a quick picture of the bunting I put up on our small pergola.

I made it from some oilcloth offcuts, some cotton tape and a highly technical piece of card from a cereal box.

There was quite a mishmash of cloth to look at and it all needed to be smoothed out so I could find pieces to fit my template.

I had a collection of a few different pieces, this patchwork style one had some pretty patterns in it

With it being oilcloth, there was no hemming or fraying to worry about. I cut my bunting out with pinking shears to give it a more interesting edge.

My piles waiting to be sewn onto the tape.

I still have quite a few bits cut out so I can make some more bunting for the fence to brighten it up a bit.

While I was out there, I had a quick check on our little apple tree. I planted the seeds from an apple core about 3 or 4 months ago not really expecting anything.

One of the seeds grew and just went from strength to strength.

So this afternoon I repotted it to give it some more growing room. I shall be watching it with interest.

That's me about done for this afternoon. Imogen is in a play tonight so I'm going to pop a couple of painkillers, get gussied up and off we go. We shall be dreadfully early as Imogen needs to be there about an hour and a half before it starts, so I think we'll drop her off then wander around the area for a while. She's very nervous because her knee still isn't 100% so she probably won't be able to take part fully in the dancing (they're performing Chicago) and she worked so hard on them. Imogen is playing Mama, the prison warden, so even if she doesn't dance, we'll enjoy her singing.